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Month: January 2017

I published this originally with the intention of addressing why the average person lies, how our lies affect us, and what we can do to change our behavior. This essay does NOT address those who are chronic liars or who have personality disorders. Those people are not likely to be amenable to either advice or treatment.

She believed-
Until the lie was whispered.
She had faith-
Until the lie was confirmed.
She hoped-
Until the lie was repeated.
She cried-
Until the lie was denied.
Then she left
When the lie no longer mattered;
And now,
She lies to herself.

We tell ourselves stories: stories which include part reality, part perception, and lies- tiny lies, huge lies, self-serving lies. Sometimes we even lie to ourselves about why we tellthose lies. So can it be any surprise we lie to others? Why are we so dishonest?

I’ve thought about this a lot and have come to believe the answers reside in our egos, our images of ourselves. We all wish to believe we are good people, and we each have an internal definition of what that means to us. I believe our stories to ourselves and others reflect our definition, and if it conflicts with an…